Books Read in 2007

Another year has come and gone and my mind is 63 books richer. Here is a list of the books I finished in 2007. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment.

January
1. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

March
2. Cold Case Squad, by Edna Buchanan
3. Shadows, by Edna Buchanan

May
4. Total Control, by David Baldacci
5. Full Scoop, by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes
6. An American Childhood, by Annie Dillard
7. Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery
8. Chocolat, by Joanne Harris
9. Captive of My Desires, by Johanna Lindsey
10. The Bridge Over The River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle

June
11. Dead Watch, by John Sandford
12. The Dressmaker, by Elizabeth Birkelund Oberbeck
13. Shock, by Robin Cook
14. Motion to Suppress, by Perri O'Shaughnessy
15. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling (reread)
16. Sparkling Cyanide, by Agatha Christie
17. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling (reread)
18. Ordeal by Innocence, by Agatha Christie

July
19. The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck
20. The Shawshank Redemption, by Stephen King
21. Eleven On Top, by Janet Evanovich
22. The Chin Kiss King, by Ana Veciana-Suarez
23. The Romanov Prophecy, by Steve Berry
24. Three Fates, by Nora Roberts
25. Mount Vernon Love Story: A Novel of George and Martha Washington, by Mary Higgins Clark
26. A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby
27. Planet of the Apes, by Pierre Boulle
28. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
29. The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, by Agatha Christie

August
30. Suite Française, by Irène Némirovsky
31. Twelve Sharp, by Janet Evanovich
32. Looking for Mr. Goodbar, by Judith Rossner
33. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
34. On What Grounds, by Cleo Coyle
35. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

September
36. The Seal Wife, by Kathryn Harrison
37. Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury, by Stephan Pastis
38. Through the Grinder, by Cleo Coyle
39. Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne
40. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson (reread)
41. Sellevision, by Augusten Burroughs
42. The Testament, by John Grisham
43. Lie Down With Lions, by Ken Follett (reread)
44. Metro Girl, by Janet Evanovich
45. The New People: They Came From The Sea, by Alex Steele

October
46. I'll Be Seeing You, by Mary Higgins Clark
47. Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, by Eoin Colfer
48. Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
49. Repair to Her Grave, by Sarah Graves
50. Latte Trouble, by Cleo Coyle

November
51. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
52. The Lady and the Unicorn, by Tracy Chevalier
53. A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster
54. Spencerville, by Nelson DeMille
55. The Christmas Thief, by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

December
56. C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands, by Brian Sibley
57. The Floor of the Sky, by Pamela Carter Joern
58. This Side of Married, by Rachel Pastan
59. The Twits, by Roald Dahl
60. Turtle Moon, by Alice Hoffman
61. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
62. The Boss's Christmas Baby, by Trish Morey
63. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Wild Release #110

I got this book from my sister and was supposed to release it, but something about identical twins switching places and one of them having the boss's Christmas baby intrigued me, so I decided to read it first. I used to read these *all* the time when I was younger. In fact, I learned a lot about geography and other cultures by reading Harlequins. Nothing comes close to the classics of the 1970s and early 1980s, but this one was pretty entertaining. I don't know how soon I'll read another, but "The Boss's Christmas Baby," by Trish Morey, was a nice holiday read. :) I left it stuck in the slats of the bench at 101 North Main in Greensburg. Perhaps someone in that building will find it on their way home and be as entertained as I was.

RABCK #49

My 49th RABCK is on its way to 1lilbookworm in Canada. I got a nice PM from her requesting it, and as the postage to Canada isn't *too* exorbitant (yet!), "Julie of the Wolves," by Jean Craighead George is heading north of the border as a "Welcome to BookCrossing" RABCK. Enjoy!

Wild Release #109

I needed to stock up on Diet Mt. Dew after work, so I headed to the Giant Eagle at Hempfield Square (next to Target). It was getting cold outside, so I thought I'd leave "Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers," by Cynthia Rylant, in the fire engine ride outside the café door.

Wild Releases #105 - #108

My sixth SSM challenge was occasion to release four perfectly themed books from the Jewel Kingdom series for children: "The Ruby Princess Runs Away," "The Diamond Princess Saves the Day," "The Ruby Princess Sees a Ghost," and "The Emerald Princess Finds a Fairy." I left them in individual zippered bags propped up against a planter outside the door Beeghly and Company on Fourth and Main Streets in downtown Greensburg. Mission Accomplished!

This week's challenge, set by dicentragirl, follows:

What: SSM 1223-Sparkle
When: December 23, 2007
How: Let it sparkle, let it shine. Find books on silver, gold, gems and jewelry (or other sparkly things). Release them in a jewelry store or jewelry section of a store.

Wild Release #104

Ever since I bought this book at Goodwill, I knew where I wanted to release it. I finally got my chance today when I released Danielle Steel's "The Ranch" next to the Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressings at the Eastgate Giant Eagle. The store was swarming with pre-holiday shoppers, so I hope it finds a nice new home soon.

Wild Releases #102 & #103

It was a beautiful day for a walk today, so I decided to do my in-town errands by foot instead of by car at lunchtime. I had a couple of books that were ripe for release, as well; 'tis the season, after all. I left my first book, "The Grinch Meets His Max," by Antonia D. Bryan, propped up on a bench outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Pennsylvania Avenue. The second book, Caroline B. Cooney's "Freeze Tag," was left on a bench in the Pennsylvania Avenue Parklet next to Art-Tech.

RABCK #48

The Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library had a book sale this past weekend--all books were only 25¢, so I bought 60 of them, including "Rainbow Boys," by Alex Sanchez. In browsing one of the BookCrossing forums, I came across a wish list and was pleased to discover I could fulfill one of the wishes with this book. "Rainbow Boys" is on its way to boondockgrl86 in Maryland as a Christmas RABCK. Enjoy!

Wild Release #101

Alice Hoffman's "Turtle Moon" was released for my fifth SSM challenge. The book and release location were supposed to have a celestial theme, so, braving the cold weather and blowing snow, I left Turtle MOON on a ledge outside the entrance to the showroom of STAR Chevrolet Nissan Volvo on Route 30 in Greensburg. Mission Accomplished!


This week's challenge, set by dicentragirl, follows:

What: SSM 1216-Celestial
When: December 16, 2007
How: Books relating to stars, moon, planets, astronomy… Ideal release locations are planetariums, fortune tellers, or with the telescopes at a shop, but use your imagination.

Wild Release #100

Another milestone accomplished! "This Christmas," a collection of stories by Jane Green, Jennifer Coburn, and Liz Ireland, was my 100th Wild Release. I left it on a bench outside of The Boulevard, the restaurant next to Barnes & Noble in Greensburg. I saw a couple of people stop to look at it, but I don't know who ended up taking it with them--it was gone when I left the restaurant.

Wild Release #99

"The Twits," by Roald Dahl, was such a fun little book I couldn't wait to share it with some lucky finder. It's been a while since I left anything in the Apartment Rental Guide box on the sidewalk of the Helman-Ghrist parking lot on North Main Street in Greensburg, so I decided to leave it there. Protecting it from the rain was a good reason to put it there, too!

Wild Release #98

I braved a trip to the mall to finally get started on my Christmas shopping and thought it was a good time and place to leave Mary and Carol Higgins Clark's joint effort, "The Christmas Thief." I left it in a BookCrossing release bag propped up on the planter around the escalators at the Macy's end of the mall.

Wild Releases #96 & #97

Two very different books were released by me after work today. The first, "Free Fall," by Fern Michaels, is a chick-lit mystery-type book, which I left on the metal shelf next to the drive-thru night depository at Citizens Bank on Main Street. The second was "Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers," by Dav Pilkey, an irreverent book that uses a lot of bodily-function-type humor to amuse children (or those with the mindset of a child). I left this one in the aisle with all the party plates, cups, and favors at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store in Greensburg. Hopefully, some bored child who has been dragged there unwillingly by their mother will come away with this little treasure.

Wild Releases #94 & #95

I had two books to release for my fourth SSM challenge--"C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands," by Brian Sibley, and "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: The Creatures of Narnia," by Scout Driggs.

I spent all week trying to think of a good place to leave them and I kept coming up blank. Then I read today's newspaper and saw an ad for Staples, the office supply wonderland, and it clicked--C.S. Lewis' name is Clive STAPLES Lewis, so I left the Sibley book by the staples in Staples at sunset. Then I headed across the street to do some grocery shopping at Giant Eagle. I thought of leaving the other book by the $1 a night DVD rental machine, but I ended up leaving it in the free literature rack in the lobby. Mission Accomplished (x2)!

This week's challenge, set by dicentragirl, follows:

What: SSM 1202-The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
When: December 2, 2007
How: C.S. Lewis’ birthday is this week (the 29th) Let’s celebrate by having a book release in his honor. Pick a book by C.S. Lewis or one that relates to lions, witches or wardrobes/clothes. Release in a clothing store or get creative (think closets, etc.).

Wild Release #93

My car needed to have its oil changed and its tires rotated and aligned. Luckily, it coincided with my need to release "The Shark Mutiny," by Patrick Robinson, in a "manly" place. What better place for a book about wars, spies, and sabotage, than a garage full of mechanics and manly men waiting for their trucks to be fixed? I was very sneaky and left the book on a ledge leading up to the office in Import Export Tire in Latrobe; when I came back to pick up my car a few hours later, the book was gone!